


Birth of Fire

by Molotov_Man



Series: Nejiten Oneshots [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Trans Male Character, Trans!Neji, soft tingz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Molotov_Man/pseuds/Molotov_Man
Summary: He had to admit: the pain wasn’t so harsh when it was shared.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Series: Nejiten Oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996492
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Birth of Fire

**Author's Note:**

> 👉👈

Neji Hyuuga had always been aloof.

It was a common trait in prodigies; after all, who could expect someone so talented to relate easily to their peers? When he was young, he filled his time with training and meditation, almost always alone sans his father or whichever adult could offer him a training partner. He was five when he told Hizashi that he didn’t want to be called ‘she,’ which had snowballed into a fight between his father and uncle and then to an uneasy conclusion. That was the second birth of Neji Hyuuga: one of fire.

“Hiashi—“

“No! We don’t tolerate deviants within this clan, and she’s just a child, she doesn’t know who she is,”

”He, Hiashi. He cannot be cultivated into a warrior befitting of the Hyuuga name if he cannot look himself in the mirror,” Hizashi’s voice took on a note of pleading. “He is my son and I will do anything for him.”

There was silence, followed by Hiashi’s sigh. “If... he fails to hold his weight, I will find myself unable to tolerate his less than natural ways,”

“Thank you,”

“Mm.”

Neji slid away from the door and back to his room before his father could catch him. He knew it was complex, that he wasn’t average in more ways than one. He laid on his bed and rolled over to face the wall, feeling caged despite the change in how he would be perceived.

Having few friends, it turned out, was a virtue when it came to changing one’s name. He simply morphed into someone new without being noticed. And then, he abruptly gained some sort of fame for his abilities, finally able to grow in the way that he couldn’t reach before.

Iruka was himself: “Neji, you’re doing wonderfully.”

Even Hiashi seemed content with the effects of his transition, saying, “Well done,” and as an afterthought, “Neji.”

Hizashi merely glowed with pride.

Neji grew into himself gradually, began binding as a preteen; he moved still further apart socially as he guarded his secret, and following his father’s death. His assignment to a team was something he could acknowledge as necessary but loathed nonetheless, as it required at the very least cohesion with other students.

Neji never changed with them, although it was standard practice for shinobi. Gai thought nothing of it, always respectful of people’s bodily choices, and Lee took Gai’s word as law, as usual. Tenten quirked her head at him the first time—she was content to change with Lee despite being the opposite gender, but then again, maybe it was a Hyuuga thing. She was quick to let it go. It didn’t really affect training anyhow.

Neji was dedicated, sharp, and finely tuned. Tenten was all of those things with the addition of being looser, less rigid. Coming up from the streets gave her a much different outlook on her life than Neji had from his clan upbringing, but rather than adding to tension between them, it gave grounds for an excellent partnership. Tenten became who Neji relied on unconsciously, not only for war but for simpler things. She was privy to his weakness on the battlefield and also to his deficits in personal areas (though not his biggest secret, which he kept tightly wound, much like the bandages on his chest). They were often somewhat alone together, as Gai took Lee off for some idiotic challenge or another.

After a rigorous day of training, Neji was feeling the pains of his bindings acutely, and wanted nothing more than to go home so he could sleep off the intensity of the pain. Tenten stood in his path.

“Neji, are you alright? You seemed firm in the last round, like something was hurting you,”

He pretended to resent that she could read him so well, but of course, that feeling wasn’t genuine. “I’m fine.” He attempted to sidestep.

For someone of her size, Tenten had a massively intimidating presence. “Don’t think you’re slick, Hyuuga. You can talk to me, you know. If you can trust me with your blind spot, you can trust me with an injury. Is it your ribs? You took one of Lee’s kicks awful hard earlier,”

“It’s nothing, Ten, really.” He tried to appease her with the casual use of his nickname for her, but only managed to make her more suspicious.

“Not good enough. Tell me or I’m taking you to the hospital, and Sakura can prod you to death.”

Neji had long despised hospitals, for obvious reasons, and didn’t like the idea of letting Sakura in on his secret. He didn’t know her well enough to put that level of faith in her. “What can I do to convince you that I’m fine?”

“Take your shirt off and let me look,”

Neji blanched. “Not necessary.”

“Don’t make it weird. Just let me have one look and I’ll let you go.” She tugged on his sleeve pleadingly.

Neji could see right through her just as well as she could him. “No, you won’t, you’ll just make me go to the hospital anyway.”

“Ah, so you admit you’re hurt!”

He rolled his eyes, shifted uncomfortably. His ribs ached ferociously, much like the muscles in his back. “Tenten. Let me go home, and I will take care of it myself.”

“You have to rely on someone eventually, Neji,”

He squinted at her. “Tenten, I trust you with my life every day. I’d call that reliance.”

“So why’re you guarding this injury so closely?” She tilted her head. “Is that...the same reason you won’t change with the rest of us? Do you have scars or something? You don’t have to worry so much about appearances, not with us.”

Neji continued to stare and Tenten sighed.

Pulling the collar of her shirt down slightly, she revealed a jagged pink scar running underneath her collar bone. “Here, we’ve all got less than pretty things about ourselves.”

Neji went pink, if only slightly. “I don’t think any part of you could be less than beautiful,” he said softly.

Tenten blushed hard and tried to deflect. “Come on, smooth-talker, just let me see it. Is it broken, is that it?”

Neji sighed and the pain seeped into his gaze. “Tenten...please let it go,”

Her eyes turned gentle with worry. “Neji, I’m your teammate and your field partner. You can trust me. Just give yourself a little room to be imperfect,”

“You would never see me the same. I can’t have this sort of thing getting out.”

Her eyes widened. “I’d never tell a secret you thought was important. And I’d never let...well, whatever it is, make me think less of you. I swear it on my life.”

Neji bit his lip, looked around nervously, then started to fumble with the tie on his upper garment. Tenten gently moved his hands and untied it for him, looking up at his eyes when she was finished. He pulled it apart gingerly and turned his head, refusing to meet her eyes. When he dared to look at her again, she was staring in rapture at the bandages.

“Okay, that’s enough, are you satisfied now?” Neji started to pull his shirt closed.

Tenten stopped him by throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him close. “Neji, I think you’re perfect.”

His voice cracked. “O-oh,”

She pulled back slowly, thumbs tracing the skin where his bandages ended. “You’re still my man, you know that, right?”

Neji’s eyes filled with tears and Tenten started backing away.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I had no idea, I didn’t mean to push you that far—“

Neji wrapped her in his arms, pressing back into her, and she was quick to reciprocate. “Thank you,”

“Wait, how tight are those? That’s what’s hurting you? You need to take those off now.” Despite her admonishment, she made no move away from him.

He swallowed. “If I took them off here, would you stay for a while? Just to sit with me?”

“Of course I would,” she turned around so he could take them off in peace, and sat in the grass to wait for him. “You know, Lee and Gai would never judge you for something like this. They love you no matter what, and they’d understand.”

“I know. I’m just so used to keeping it closed off. I wasn’t exactly accepted, within my clan. Hiashi is willing to overlook it now, but he wasn’t always like that. The Hyuugas are unforgiving to freaks of nature,”

“You’re not a freak,” she said firmly as he sat down next to her, hunching over to hide his freed chest. “I showed you mine, anyway. I don’t see why we can’t be a little messed up together.”

“Where’d you get it?” His clear eyes bored into hers.

She shifted her hands. “My father. It was his last act, really. Killed himself and tried to take me with him.”

Neji bristled. “I’d never let that happen to you, Tenten.”

She smiled, if a little sadly. “Protective, huh? Didn’t figure you for that,”

“I’ll always protect you.”

“And I’ll always protect you, even from yourself.” She moved so she was sitting behind him and began kneading his shoulders and back. “You’re so tense, kami, do you ever relax?”

Neji wouldn’t tip his hand enough to reveal that she relaxed him, but he soon fell victim to her gentle pressure and leaned back against her chest, falling into a deeper sleep than he’d had in years. Tenten soon followed, comforted by his warmth pressed so close. That was how Gai found them, hours later: curled against one another and fast asleep even as dusk approached.

He smiled brightly. “Come on, students, it’s time for bed,”

Neji rubbed his eyes and pushed himself off of Tenten, nudging her to wake her up. “Ten, we fell asleep, get up,”

“You’re a peach in the morning, huh?” She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

Neji shook his head and scooped her into his arms, effectively jolting her from sleep.

“Neji, put me down!”

“You’re so intent on sleeping, then I’ll just have to carry you home,” he shrugged nonchalantly and started off in the direction of her place.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, students! Get some rest.” Gai paused, noticing the length of bandage on the grass, and picked it up, frowning.

Kakashi slipped out from the shadows of a tree, yawning himself. “Let’s go home, Gai. I’m tired. Wait, what is that?”

“I’m not sure, rival. Neji and Tenten were asleep here,”

They shared a look.

“You don’t think...?”

“Seems familiar to me,” Kakashi grimaced, leaned against Gai. “That kid needs a better method for binding, huh?”

“Looks like it, rival. Are you up to the challenge?”

“Of course. We might be able to loop Tenten in, even to get an estimate on his measurements.”

“Why would she know...?”

“They’re obviously together in some capacity, Gai. Did you see the way they looked at each other?” Kakashi imagined he looked at the oblivious Gai in much the same way.

“I’m so glad they’re coming out of their shells to immerse themselves in the glories of youth!”

Kakashi rolled his eyes fondly. “You’re a fool.”

“You love it,”

“I do. Now let’s go before I freeze to death out here.”


End file.
